KOLKATA — Voting in West Bengal state elections began on April 23, 2026, after the Election Commission of India removed about 9 million names, roughly 12% of the electorate, from the national voter rolls. A second phase of polling in West Bengal is scheduled for next week.

Officials said that of the deleted names, 6.3 million were listed as deceased or absent and 2.7 million were marked "doubtful" and pending verification. The Election Commission denied that the deletions disproportionately affect Muslims and other marginalized communities, saying the exercise eliminated dead, duplicate, and fake voters on the electoral roll.

The Bharatiya Janata Party said the voter roll revision was a routine administrative exercise carried out across multiple states. The party said any disproportionate impact in West Bengal reflects the presence of undocumented migrants and that many Hindu voters were also removed.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien rejected that characterization. "The motive is to disenfranchise voters," O'Brien said.

Sheikh Najrul Islam, a 53-year-old paramilitary officer on election duty in West Bengal, said he last voted in 2021 and holds valid identification documents, yet his name no longer appears on the voter list. "The Election Commission has deputed me to ensure free and fair polls. Yet, it does not consider me a citizen of this country," Islam said.

Taibunessa Begum, a 62-year-old retired school administrator, said she found her name deleted despite holding a passport, pension records, and earlier voter registration. "It felt like being told I don't exist," she said. "This is not just about politics. It is about identity, about whether we belong to this country," Begum said.

Voting also took place on April 23 in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, part of a wider round of state elections. West Bengal is one of the few large states not governed by the BJP, which is seeking gains in a state long dominated by a regional opposition party. The results of the latest elections and earlier polls in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry are expected on May 4, 2026.